


every inch of road (has a sign)

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Street Racing, alternate universe - street racing, author has commitment issues with POV, characters are aged up, iwaizumi is a mechanic and oikawa is a stunt driver/street racer, iwaizumi owns a dog because im self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-28 18:05:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12612324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Oikawa fastens his right glove with a tight pull, eyeing Iwaizumi with a confident look – determination and pride glowing in his brown eyes that Iwaizumi loses his breath over, the change in the drivers demeanour sudden and breathtaking.And in a purely serious tone that leaves no room for arguments or bickering, Oikawa looks directly into the mechanics eyes and states, “I’ll nail this scene in one take, just you watch me.”(in which Oikawa is a uniquely talented stunt driver who moonlights as a street racer in his spare time, and Iwaizumi is a self-employed mechanic who accepts any work he can get.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is an AU i've been drafting for a few weeks now and i cant wait for you to read it!
> 
> i have a deep love of cars and motorsports, and i think it's something wonderful - especially the relationship between a mechanic and a professional racer. its v/ critical to success so i hope to highlight that in this fic!
> 
> both Oikawa and Iwaizumi are aged up in this fic and don't previously know each other.
> 
> the title is a variation on a lyric from 'Everything Now' by Arcade Fire.

“Spanner.”

“Here you go,” Kindaichi says as he places the requested tool in the mechanics outstretched hand who then grasps the steel in his calloused hands before tightening a loose bolt into the rear bumper of the car he is lying under.

The mechanic twists out from underneath the rear of the car, sitting up and wiping his greasy hands on his dark-blue cotton pants and white t-shirt, matched with steel-capped black work boots. “I think you can handle it from here, Kindaichi.”

Iwaizumi stands up, placing a hand on Kindaichi’s shoulder as his apprentice nods - signalling the approval to finish the job off.

Kindaichi looks at the car before moving towards the toolbox to obtain a few tools, slotting himself over the engine bay as Iwaizumi moves towards the desk in the corner of the garage as the phone begins to ring.

Sighing with the beginning of exhaustion as he wipes his forearm across his face, collecting sweat from his brow, he answers the phone. “Seijou Garage, Iwaizumi speaking.”

“Iwaizumi-san, my name is Kiyoko. Are you available for a callout job this afternoon?” the quiet, female voice on the end of the phone asks, Iwaizumi flicking through the job diary on the unorganised desk in-front of him, looking at his schedule.

 _Nothing Kindaichi can’t handle in my absence_ , he thinks to himself.

Shutting the job diary, he answers the woman on the phone. “Kiyoko-san, was it? I’m available for a job today if you need assistance. What’s the work?” he asks, jotting down the details on a notepad as she explains the situation.

_Movie set._

_Filming stopped due to damaged suspension to a stunt vehicle required for the scene._

_Timing constraints on set = extra money for a quick-fix job._

Iwaizumi confirms the details and model of the car and scribbles down the address as well as Kiyoko’s mobile number before hanging up the phone.

“Oi, Kindaichi!” he calls out across the 6-car garage – the mechanics loud voice echoing between the solid concrete walls. “I’ve got a rush callout job, I’ll text when I leave,” the mechanic rambles off to his apprentice as he flitters between toolboxes lining the rear wall of the garage – riffling through tools and spare parts until he collects a set of specific items that he then dumps into a tool-bag.

He quickly zips up the bag as he walks out of the garage towards his car and punches the address given to him by Kiyoko into the GPS system. Then he reverses out of the garage driveway and speeds down the road towards his destination.

 

* * *

Forty minutes later, Iwaizumi parks his old Mitsubishi Lancer in the film sets carpark and gets out of his car, hoisting his tool-bag over his shoulder as he calls Kiyoko, due to him not being allowed access onto the closed filming sight by the burly security guards.

A few moments pass before Iwaizumi is greeted by a woman with shoulder-length, jet black hair and glasses framing her gentle eyes. “Iwaizumi-san, thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, let me walk you through,” she offers, signalling for Iwaizumi to follow her past security and onto the set.

He follows two steps behind, observing the stillness on set around him – people sitting off to the side drinking tea, snacking on miscellaneous food items. The set is based in an abandoned business park on the western outskirts of Sendai on a Wednesday afternoon. The site is filled with various filming equipment, tents full of staff working on the scene.

“Is there other filming currently happening here?” he asks, curious to know why all of the workers are lazing around.

She sighs as she flicks through messages on her phone, nails tapping against the screen in a blur that makes Iwaizumi dizzy. “Not presently. We’re filming an escape scene at the moment but since the car has issues, we’re not able to do much until it’s fixed,” continuing to tap away on the screen, not even looking up to see where she is walking as she fills Iwaizumi in.

Iwaizumi hums his response to her answer, as Kiyoko points out the car in question that he is required to fix a few minutes later – a standard red hatchback sitting stationary and abandoned in the middle of the road.

“Please give me a call when you think it’s fixed. I’ll go get our stunt driver who can explain what happened for you so you can get started.”

He thanks her, turning his full attention to the car as she walks away, phone immediately at her ear.

Placing the tool bag on the floor next to the car, Iwaizumi crouches down a few metres away from the car and observes the exterior of the vehicle. He spots nothing wrong with the slant of the car, and in turn reaches into his bag to have a closer look – pulling out a torch and clicking it on before shining the light between the spokes of the wheel rim.

Faint footsteps are registered in his vicinity a few minutes later, growing closer with each step.

“Iwaizumi-san, this is Oikawa Tooru – the stunt driver on set today who was driving the car,” she mentions distractedly to Iwaizumi as he turns around to face this Oikawa Tooru… until he accidentally shines the torch light directly into the strangers eyes.

A split second goes by in silence before a high-pitched whine emerges from the drivers mouth.

“Ah, he’s blinded me, Shimi-chan!! Help meeee!” he continues to cry as bright spots gather and spark in his vision.

Iwaizumi would have some sympathy in the present situation if the strangers complaining didn’t continue for another fifty seconds after the fact – and certainly well-after the effects of the torch light had faded away.

While the man recovers, Iwaizumi observes the chocolate brown eyes, longer-than-average wavy strands of hair that hang in an artful, precise style around his strikingly… beautiful face.

He was taller than Iwaizumi, however only slightly. The driver is both muscular and lithe – his body framed in a black denim jacket with red and yellow twin stripes running down the three quarter length sleeves. He also wears dark blue jeans that mesh into his black combat boots and a white t-shirt, all fitted perfectly to show off his appealing frame.

  * _Step 1: Breathe in._
  * _Step 2: Breathe out._
  * _Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 until normality has returned._



Iwaizumi gathers his composure, shaking the temporary paralysation out of his mind.

The driver recovers from his antics, Iwaizumi rolling his eyes as they settle down.

“I’d mistake you for the lead in the film with those acting skills,” Iwaizumi huffs under his breath to himself once the driver finishes silencing his whining – but unfortunately, the statement was not quiet enough so Oikawa would miss the sarcastic remark.

The drivers jaw goes slack from pretend shock as Oikawa releases a playfully scandalised _“Iwa-chan!”_ in an airy tone, clearly feigning offence from the comment.

 _And then he makes a stupid face like that_ , Iwaizumi thinks to himself, smirking at the drivers childish voice.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Kiyoko offers the duo before walking away from the scene and returning to her work.

The driver asks curiously and cheerily, “sorry I didn’t think I caught your full name, Iwa-chan?”

Iwaizumi eyes the man before him up and down – Oikawa, he remembers – with a sudden curiosity.

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” he offers politely. “But I recognise you from somewhere…” Iwaizumi talks to himself, wondering why the name and shit-eating grin on the drivers face registers as being familiar.

Oikawa tilts his head, regarding the mechanic as he continues to think for a silent minute. “Don’t think too hard or you’ll break your brain cells, Iwa-chan!” he chuckles into the silence – completely ignoring any normal naming conventions as the shit-eating grin upgrades itself to a fully-fledged smirk.

Iwaizumi’s face falls into a dark, quietly-threatening expression at the repeated childish nickname, glaring directly at Oikawa. “If you keep saying shit like that, the car won’t be the only thing broken on this set,” Iwaizumi offers back immediately in a monotone voice, Oikawa having the decency to at least look mildly frightened at the remark.

Iwaizumi turns his back to Oikawa, returning his attention to the job at hand.

“What happened to the car, Shittykawa?” as he moves to the front-right tyre – shining the torch into the innards of the car to inspect for signs of damage.

Stumbling over his words as a result of the nickname, Oikawa realigns himself a few split seconds later before returning to his casual, offhanded method of speaking. “Well, the stunt is an escape scene. So I just accelerate from a stationary spot as fast as possible and then do a U-turn drift before speeding away,” he mentions casually. “But the car jolted during a take and I heard something break. Figured it was broken and that’s that!”

Iwaizumi was now leaning further into the innards of the car, having spotted the issue while Oikawa talked his ear off behind him.

Leaning back, he flicks off the torch and stands up to walk away from the car back towards the set. Oikawa, now realising he was left standing by himself next to the car launches into a jog after Iwaizumi.

“Iwa-chan, wait for me!” he calls out, falling into step with the mechanic. “Where are you going?” Oikawa asks as they continue to walk through the film set. “You haven’t even touched the car yet, you can’t leave!” the pestering continues as Iwaizumi glares at the man falling into step next to him, realisation finally settling into his brain.

They exit the set as Iwaizumi opens the trunk of his car, removing the car wheel jack stored there. “Oikawa Tooru. Stunt driver. Yeah I know you. I think I saw a video of you driving that my apprentice showed me. Nice moves,” he compliments offhandedly – slamming the trunk shut and shocking Oikawa out of his trance as he stares at Iwaizumi’s built, tanned biceps adjusting the heavy equipment into his arms.

Oikawa parks up at the compliment and his face warms at the sound of his full name rolling off the mechanics gravely, sultry voice. He immediately fishes for more details. “Oooh, what video, Iwa-chan? The wheelie video? Or the two-wheeled doughnuts in the obstacle course with the small hatchback? Or something else?” he enquires, continuing to ramble off videos he’s posted online in the past few months.

“Shithead, get your head out of the clouds,” Iwaizumi responds quickly – cutting off Oikawa’s continuing stream of naming videos. “It was an old one,” he divulges. “I think I saw it about a year ago. Serpents Pass? It was a demo run video some fan shot.”

A wide smile built upon jubilation and selfish indulgence sculpts itself onto Oikawa’s lips. “That’s an unusual one. Most people know me for my stunts, but that’s quite odd since I don’t advertise that side much. How did your apprentice find it anyway?”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes at the smug grin on the drivers face, immediately regretting feeding his already inflated ego – but he continues to amuse his curiosity for his amusements sake. It’ll make the time go faster at the very least.

“He’s into street racing and some of our friends compete. The video was circulating around the scene and Kindaichi, my apprentice, showed it to me.” He could sense Oikawa’s ego expanding rapidly. So he continued. “But you were over-eager on the accelerator at some points,” smirking at the comically broken expression on Oikawa’s face as they walked back into the film set – Oikawa running to catch-up with Iwaizumi as he fell behind from shock.

“It was a new car I was driving for the first time!” he exclaimed loudly to Iwaizumi. “Wait,” he asks, “who are your friends in street racing?” he asks, curiosity coming back with a vengeance as he starts to walk backwards, facing Iwaizumi as they continue to walk back through the set. “I might know them since I race around the scene every once and a while,” he offers, a hand cocked on his hip with the other hanging in the air like he’s offering his words to the sky.

Reaching the stunt car, Iwaizumi places the car wheel jack on the floor with a grunt as he moves to look through his tool bag.

“They own a green Toyota Supra. Hanamaki drives it but Matsukawa owns it. I occasionally work on their car when they want a new part fitted since I’m good with that kind of work.”

Humming to himself, Oikawa questions further. “Do you work on street racing cars often?”

“Not often, but I enjoy it,” he says offhandedly, finding the item he was looking for – Iwaizumi gets started on setting up the car jack to raise the tyre off the ground to finally start fixing the car.

“Oh, I know them!” Oikawa exclaims, surprise littered in his voice. “So, you’re the one that made their car reasonably competitive recently, huh, go figure” he muses out loud, Iwaizumi raising an eyebrow at Oikawa’s judgement of his work.

Iwaizumi continues to raise the corner of the car off the ground – now having set the car jack up underneath the front wheel he can get a closer look below the car. He slides underneath the car – torch in his mouth as he fiddles with parts of the car, faint clinking can be heard as parts are removed.

His shirt is riding up his chest slightly as he stretches upwards into the car to get better access to the suspension – completely oblivious that Oikawa is absorbing the image of Iwaizumi’s taut abdomen on display, the gears in his mind moving quickly to preserve the image like a phone camera taking thirty burst photos of a single moment – noting all of the minute changes in muscle structure and movement as Iwaizumi works on the car, leaving Oikawa cemented to his position in awe.

As Oikawa shakes his head to clear his mind of inappropriate thoughts and fights to reduce the blush he is sure is rising on his cheeks, clearing his throat as he moves to continue their conversation. Faint noises can be heard coming from underneath the car before Iwaizumi asks a favour from underneath the car.

“Crappykawa, pass me the red coil on the ground next to my bag” stretching a hand out from underneath the car, throwing a rusty spring away from the car, his hand remaining there to await the delivery of the part.

Springing to action, Oikawa spots the item on the floor and places it on the waiting hand of the mechanic – who retracts his arm to install the piece.

A muffled “thanks” is offered to Oikawa who decides to lay on his stomach on the ground parallel to Iwaizumi to have a look at the work he was doing to the car.

Oikawa watches in silence as Iwaizumi glances to his side and regards the driver observing his every motion – the driver staring at the mechanic curiously as he installs the new part to the car.

A few short minutes later, Iwaizumi climbs out from under the car, shoving the tools back into his bag and wiping his hands on a cloth from within the bag.

“What’s the prognosis, doc?” Oikawa asks playfully while standing up from the ground with an air of extravagance, as Iwaizumi removes the car wheel jack from the vehicle, lowering it to the ground again.

“You broke the shock absorber. Although by the amount of rust that was crusted onto it, it was on its last life anyways. I just replaced that part and it should be fine now,” Iwaizumi closing his statement with a final zip of his tool bag.

Pulling his phone from a pocket of his bag, Iwaizumi calls Kiyoko and lets her know the car is now fixed and ready to go.

Oikawa’s mind was working on overtime, a sudden panic overwhelming him. “Wait, you can’t leave!” he tells Iwaizumi, as the mechanic ends his call with Kiyoko, stating that he was returning to his garage.

“Why can’t I, Shittykawa? I’ve finished my job here,” he states, pointing to the fixed car.

Flicking through excuses in his mind, Oikawa settles on the best option – the most reasonable. “But what if the car breaks again?” he exclaims suddenly, his voice a few decibels louder than it needed to be. “You need to be here to fix it. I’ll talk to Kiyoko, I’m sure she would appreciate no further delays to the schedule.”

Rolling his eyes at Oikawa’s behaviour, he relents.

And as promised, Oikawa sorts it out with Kiyoko who supports the idea and arranges the payment for his extra services – the set producer clearly not wanting any further delays to their filming schedule no matter the costs involved.

Iwaizumi texts Kindaichi while Oikawa is starting up the stunt car – filming now getting the green light to be resumed shortly. Iwaizumi tells Kindaichi to close up the garage early if all of his jobs are completed for the day. Iwaizumi isn’t a horrible boss.

As the mechanic relents to Oikawa wanting to stick with him for a while longer, they both retreat as the film crew is called back to action to reset the set for filming to resume.

Oikawa sidles up to Iwaizumi as crew members rush past them, Oikawa taking the initiative by asking him questions about anything and everything while they go walk back to Iwaizumi’s car to return the car wheel jack.

The questions, however, were not was Iwaizumi was expecting.

Turns out, Oikawa – the stunning stunt driver is a _massive_ nerd.

And Iwaizumi scolds himself for finding it so goddamn endearing.

 _“Do you believe in extra-terrestrial life?”_ (Not particularly).

 _“What is your opinion on Fox Mulder and Dana Scully not officially stating that they are in a relationship in the cult TV show, ‘The X Files’?_ (A particularly strong eye roll which Oikawa gasps at).

 _“How did you end up becoming a mechanic?”_ (This question… this one he could answer).

Iwaizumi unlocks his car and opens the trunk, storing the jack away securely as Oikawa leans on the side of his car, eyeing the mechanic again.

Sighing, he closes the trunk and turns to walk back into the set, hands casually placed in his pant pockets for a lack of anything to do – casting a look to his side as Oikawa awaits an answer to his question with eager enthusiasm.

“I was raised by my father who passed away when I was 19. Lung cancer. He chain smoked,” he explains to Oikawa as he could sense the condolences he didn’t want to hear, but he appreciated the sentiment. The mechanic continues, Oikawa silencing himself as he settles in to become a perfect listener for Iwaizumi’s story.

“I inherited everything from him, including his admiration for cars. I learnt how to service my own car from him.” Iwaizumi has a tone of deep reflection in his voice.

Continuing, he spoke with an inner strength and self-pride as he now follows Oikawa to the edge of the filming area where he was getting ready to restart filming, slipping black gloves over his slender hands.

Iwaizumi looks off into the distance with a small smile on his face, unsure of why he is spilling his history to this relative stranger – their comfort with each other and banter not dispelling their ability to ready the other easily, Iwaizumi surprised by his own openness.

“I spent my inheritance putting myself through auto mechanical engineering school and I opened up my garage, Seijou Garage, when I graduated at 22. Ever since then I’ve been working there.”

Oikawa eyes Iwaizumi with interest as he finishes speaking – the passion in the mechanics voice surprising, but it also reminds him of himself in some ways. The determination to succeed at one’s passions is what motivates Oikawa every day.

They remain in silence for a few more seconds, Oikawa letting the information settle into his mind as he regards the mechanic with a sense of awe and intrigue, his recent speech only igniting his surprised determination to know more, but also makes him want to prove his abilities and skill to the man.

Oikawa fastens his right glove with a tight pull, eyeing Iwaizumi with a confident look – determination and pride glowing in his brown eyes that Iwaizumi loses his breath over, the change in the drivers demeanour sudden and breathtaking.

And in a purely serious tone that leaves no room for arguments or bickering, Oikawa looks directly into the mechanics eyes and states “I’ll nail this scene in one take, just you watch me.”

Then, he turns away from Iwaizumi with a wink – his flirtatious behaviour catching Iwaizumi out as he stares at the sight of the gorgeous driver walking away from him towards the stunt car.

Iwaizumi stands glued to the spot in stunned silence with his heartbeat racing a million beats per second as he watches Oikawa speed off in the sedan down the road and executes a perfect drifting U-turn. The screeching of sliding rubber on tarmac filling the air, mixing with tyre smoke as Oikawa speeds in the opposite direction, the cameras tracking his every movement when the director yells “cut! That’s a wrap!”

The director cheerfully stands up and walks up to his stunt driver, as Oikawa gets out of the car with a confident grace.

He shoots a look over to Iwaizumi, smirking to himself when he spots the stunned expression on the mechanics face before getting distracted by the director coming up and thanking him for his services, hailing his work as perfection and “better-than-expected!”

“Always expect the best from me,” he shoots the director as he walks to the side of the set where Iwaizumi is waiting, an amused look gracing the mechanics facial features as he overheard Oikawa’s boastful comment to the director.

“First take, huh,” was the first thing Iwaizumi tells Oikawa as the driver slips his racing gloves off of his hands. Pointing a finger into the drivers’ chest, Iwaizumi smirk returns as he says airily, “I clearly remember being called out here because _someone_ broke the car mid-shoot,” immediately laughing at Oikawa’s flabbergasted expression and patting his shoulder in fake-sympathy.

_“Iwa-chan!”_

 

* * *

Iwaizumi waits around for Oikawa who went off to collect his things from a trailer, the sun setting for the evening.

The driver saunters back with a black and red motorcycle helmet in his hand, gracefully striding through the set towards the mechanic who is leaning against a light post, flicking through his phone to pass the time.

And then, his phone is suddenly out of his hand and in the grasp of Oikawa’s delicate, long hands (stop focussing on his hands) as he enters something into the mechanics phone.

“Dumbass what are you doing?” he asks, questioning the antics of the man standing in front of him as he locks the phone and holds it out for Iwaizumi to take back.

“I sent myself a text from your phone so we can stay in contact. I’ll message you later as I have to rush off now. Nice to meet you, Iwa-chan, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you shortly,” he says, farewelling the mechanic with a cheery wave of his hand and a conspiring smirk on his graceful lips as he walks into the carpark towards a red, expensive motorbike.

Iwaizumi just watches in stunned, hypnotised silence yet again as he watches Oikawa straddle the motorbike, placing the helmet on his head and tightening the chin strap, then lowering the visor before speeding out of the carpark and into the bright sunset.

 _“What the actual fuck,”_ Iwaizumi tells himself as he stares at the road ridden by Oikawa just moments before, the faint beating of his eager heart ringing powerfully in his ears as he slowly shakes himself back to reality.

He glances down at the phone in his hands, unlocking the device and opening his text messages – the app confirming a message was sent to a now saved contact just minutes earlier.

 **To: Oikawa Tooru** **ｖ** **(** **⌒** **ｏ** **⌒** **)** **ｖ**

_“Oikawa-san is the GREATEST driver ever!!!!!” – actual quote from Iwa-chan._

Iwaizumi just rolls his eyes as he edits the contact information to ‘shittykawa’, locking the phone and placing it in his pocket as he gets into his car and drives away from the set.

 

* * *

 

Later that night back at his home behind the garage, Iwaizumi’s phone vibrates as a result of an incoming text message, a movie playing on his TV in the background.

Grunting as he has to move from his comfortable position on his couch where his Golden Retriever, Yoko, is curled up next to him – a disapproving puff of air at the disturbance emanating from her tired body as she resettles into a new position to resume her sleeping.

He unlocks his phone to see an image sent from Oikawa – a selfie of the driver posing with an cheerful peace sign and his tongue sticking out from the side of his mouth. Behind him, an aqua-blue Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The text from the message reads:

**How do you feel about getting some more street racing work? I might have an offer for you…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few additions!
> 
> the car Iwaizumi was working on for the movie is a stock standard toyota camry.
> 
> the car Oikawa is posing with is [this one, a Subaru Impreza WRX STI aka it has some sport package additions to make it go Much Faster](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d8/7b/ae/d87bae4fa892d281b89868adf4bd7ffb--teal-blue-dip.jpg)  
> i hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this work! i absolutely LOVE this AU and i hope you do too! i have the entire fic planned out so all i have to do is write it!
> 
> please kudos/subscribe or have a chat with me in the comments if u want!! i'd love 2 hear ur feedback
> 
> my [personal tumblr](https://sanssoleiil.tumblr.com/) if anyone wants 2 yell w/ me or talk there instead!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oikawa brings iwaizumi to his first race meet and knocks his socks off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i loved! writing! this! chapter! it veered a little bit with how i planned it but i love it omg
> 
> have fun reading!!

Burnt rubber and petrol fumes polluting the air isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – but for Oikawa, it was etched into the very core of who he was as a person for as long as he could remember.

Circuit lights were illuminating the outdoor race track where a kids karting class was being run by Oikawa, his favour to the circuit owners so he can use the track for free when it’s available.

Driving is something Oikawa has been doing since he was a child – whether it be in small, underpowered karts and his first time behind the wheel of something with an engine – or fully powered sports cars, he never backed down from the feeling of speed rushing through every cell in his body, alighting with the feeling of freedom with every turn of the steering wheel.

The feeling of having the tracks surface come alive underneath the tyres of your vehicle was familiar and phantom, as Oikawa stands at the side of the circuit, making notes of his students’ progress and the circle around, again and again.

A few minutes later, he changes the circuit command light from green to red – signalling to the students that their time is up and to bring their karts to a stop in the holding area before they’re locked away for the night.

Parents buzzed around behind him, waiting to pick their children up after Oikawa talks to them all individually, complimenting them all on their improvements and telling them things they can try and improve upon.

_Smoothen out your steering, it’s very jittery._

_The line you’re taking into that corner probably isn’t the best for you, try this one instead._

_Don’t be afraid to smash down on the brake pedal into the corner._

Once the children were content, thanking him with cheers of “Oikawa-senpai!” he rolls the karts into the shed slowly, taking his time.

Teaching wasn’t exactly a thing Oikawa had planned on doing, but it came naturally to him – his eye for detail and sharp focus making him an excellent mentor. And the children respect him a lot so he doesn’t mind the attention at all. And free track time is always a bonus.

Storing the last kart away and washing his hands clean of the residual grease, he goes into the circuit office to collect his belongings and switch the lights off surrounding the circuit.

Checking his phone for messages, he opens the message he had sent himself from Iwaizumi’s phone.

Walking back to his motorbike, he places the phone in his backpack as he starts his red and black Ducati motorbike and adjusts his helmet, before speeding away towards home.

Driving into his apartment building garage, Oikawa stores his bike away next to his Subaru, but not before giving himself a great idea and taking his phone out and re-adjusting his hair as he opens the camera app.

Making the peace sign and poking his tongue out, he takes a few photos – options never a bad thing in his eyes.

He sends a photo through to Iwaizumi, vaguely giving him the option of exploring a deal with Oikawa.

After purchasing the teal coloured Subaru almost 9 months ago after competing in the Sendai City Limits Tournament – the largest street racing event in the area, where Oikawa reached the final round before losing to the reigning champion in a close race – he felt as if his skills as a stunt driver and previous training in professional racing techniques meshed perfectly together in the unruly, unpredictable sport of street racing.

Only entering a few competitions so far and trialling his car on a few practice runs in the mountainous roads outside of Sendai during late night drives, as well as on the occasional track day at the circuit he works at, Oikawa is ready to take it to the next step and up his game by committing properly.

The coincidence of Iwaizumi, the mechanic who doesn’t take Oikawa’s bullshit is a clear blessing.

A good car needs a good driver, but a professional driver needs an equally professional mechanic – one who isn’t afraid to fully commit to winning.

A minute later, Oikawa receives a text back as he rides the elevator up to his floor, turning the key in the door as he deposits his jacket, helmet and bag on the floor before sitting down in the walkway to take off his boots.

Glancing at the text displayed on his phone screen, he reads it again and laughs.

**From: Iwaizumi  
** _whats the offer?_

Oikawa responds immediately, no point in wasting any more time.

**From: Oikawa  
** _How good are u with modifying street racing cars, Iwa-chan?_

**From: Iwaizumi** _  
very good. yet again whats the offer, dumbass_

Rolling his eyes at Iwaizumi’s apparent impatience, Oikawa laughs to his empty apartment as he types away quickly.

**From: Oikawa  
** _I want some modifications done to my car I bought recently for street racing. There’s a race meet I’m going to be in this Saturday night if u wanna come and talk about it more with me if you’re free? Check the car out?_

_I will, of course, pay for ur services if u would be so kind to accept_

**From: Iwaizumi** _  
Of course you would pay shittykawa, youre not a charity case_

**From: Oikawa  
** (￢_￢;)

**From: Iwaizumi** _  
… Just send me the details and I’ll meet you there_

**From: Oikawa** **  
** °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

_Dw I’ll pick u up, text me ur address. I’ll see u at 10pm!!_

Oikawa grins at his phone screen in excited glee when Iwaizumi texts him his address.

Finally reaching down to take off his boots, he walks into his apartment with an extra spring in his step.

 

* * *

 

Iwaizumi is sitting at the desk in his garage, attempting to re-organise his paperwork while he waits – the late night breeze coming through the open garage doors, fluttering the sheets of paper strewn across the table’s surface.

The garage space is empty of vehicles except for a sedan with its engine removed and partially deconstructed – loose parts meticulously organised with a scientific precision on a plastic sheet next to the car

Dressed in deep green pants paired with black and white sneakers and a black t-shirt, a matching black jacket thrown over the back of his seat as he passes the time, Iwaizumi faintly registers the sound of a car’s low, mechanical grumbling growing louder and louder, before it whines and silences on the driveway to his garage.

A loud, bubbly, “yahoooooo, Iwa-chan!” is accompanied by clicking footsteps. The tall, slender figure of Oikawa dressed in black jeans, red jumper with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and his combat boots enters Iwaizumi’s field of vision as he approaches the desk – hair obviously in careful, fashionable order.

A cheery grin is written on the drivers striking facial features, and oh, how did Iwaizumi forget just how good looking Oikawa was in the few days since he saw him last? Is his mouth supposed to go this dry?

“Ready to go?”

He slips his jacket on as he grabs his keys, “let’s get out of here,” he states, Oikawa walking in-front of him as the mechanic turns the lights off and presses the buttons to close the roller doors for the garage.

Oikawa looks over his shoulder at Hajime who is a step behind, “nice setup you have here. I could have picked you up from home though, where do you live?”

Iwaizumi breaks eye contact as he walks towards the cark he heard rolling up his driveway a minute earlier – the teal Subaru Impreza in all of its glory parked in the centre of the driveway. And its driver is now opening the passenger door for Iwaizumi, who feels a faint blush rise in his tanned cheeks, thankful for the lack of natural light outside and his dark complexion.

“Uh, thanks… I live behind the garage, actually. There was a house attached to the property when I bought it so I’ve fixed it up a bit. It’s not much but it’s home,” he tells Oikawa, clicking his seatbelt on as the driver closes the passenger door and swings around to the other side of the car before sitting behind the steering wheel.

The interior of the car is clean, sleek and in good condition. _Brand new, probably_. The black leather trimmings are expensive but not unreasonable, but they’re not custom or unique to the car.

It’s all standard except for the green alien bobble head figurine gracing the middle of the dashboard.

_Crap like this shouldn’t be this endearing._

Oikawa turns the key to start the ignition, a low growl emerging from the engine as it fires up.

“I hope you’re ready to see me kick some ass tonight, Iwa-chan!” he announces with a confident laugh that would make most people cringe.

Sighing at the man’s confidence, he smirks and laughs it off. “Where are we going anyways?” he asks curiously, the surroundings becoming less residential and more open roads with tall trees lining the motorway.

“Other than the cars, how familiar are you with street racing itself, Iwa-chan?” he asks, casting a curious glance to the mechanic sitting shotgun in his car.

“All I know is what Hanamaki and Matsukawa tell me, and that’s not a lot, I just know some of the event schedule based on when they need their car fixed up by.” Iwaizumi had never been interested in attending the races, but there’s a first time for everything.

“It’s all different types of race courses and amount of cars in every race,” Oikawa explains, “with events generally every couple of weeks. They’re all organised by the same group of people, Ushijima Wakatoshi runs the scene with his gang of helpers.”

Iwaizumi definitely doesn’t miss the scowl evident in Oikawa’s voice, the dislike there for public viewing.

Hajime is familiar with the family name Ushijima – the man’s father was a successful businessman and the owner of a major professional racing team in Japan – although he left Japan a few years ago to conduct his business in European racing, due to it being a much more profitable and influential environment.

When Iwaizumi was studying in school, he heard whispers that Ushijima’s son had taken on board his influence and started to organise race meets – but his own reputation as a racer precedes even that.

“ _Best racer in Sendai,”_ they all called him. No-one argued it.

Oikawa was driving with one hand on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, the other resting on the gear-shift, casually flicking his wrist with a quiet confidence as he moves through the gears – his comfort behind the steering wheel clearly obvious. The steering wheel, pedals, gear-shift – all acting as if they are extensions of Oikawa’s body.

“This event tonight is on one of Ushiwaka’s private properties. The police don’t care if it’s run on private property so it’s convenient.”

Iwaizumi just hums, changing the focus of his eyes to the blackness outside the car or the graceful elegance Oikawa displays as he drives the car – quiet humming leaving the drivers mouth as he goes with tune of a song on the radio, following the passing yellow lights beside the car, the drivers eyes firmly focussed on the road ahead.

 

* * *

 

It was almost an hour later when Oikawa pulls off the motorway, breaking the silence as the sound underneath the tyres of the car changes from smooth public motorways to a bumpier side road a few minutes later.

A group of bright lights at the end of the road grows closer and closer, Iwaizumi fully turns his attention to Oikawa and focussing on the real intention of why he is attending at Oikawa’s request. “What do you want me to do tonight, Oikawa?” needing to know his end goal for the evening.

If Oikawa really wants him to work on his car, he has to know what Oikawa is expecting from his services.

And then, the ugliest grin emerges on Oikawa’s lips, fire burning in his eyes.

“I want you to help me defeat Ushiwaka.”

Outside the front windshield, multitudes of people and cars can be seen littering the space on the now smoothed out asphalt – portable flood lights are sporadically spread out, surrounding a race track in the distance and displaying the scene of racing for that night.

Oikawa rolls the car up to the crowd, parking in a quick fashion.

“Let’s go racing, Iwa-chan!” he calls out to Hajime, as the driver hops out of the car with child-like enthusiasm.

But as soon as they exit the car, loud cries of Oikawa’s name can be heard in a high pitched wave of voices – the source of noise coming from a group of men and women surrounding the driver as he grins politely, his fans asking endless questions, wanting photos, signatures, anything they can get.

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes as Oikawa gets caught up in the swarm of his fans, but Iwaizumi is aware that races need to be run and Oikawa needs to focus on that.

Shoving his way through the bodies of people surrounding the driver, he grabs Oikawa’s jumper in the fist of his hand, pulling the taller man behind him as they walk away from the fans. “He’s got a race to get to, sorry about that,” Iwaizumi mutters to the fans who leave them alone, Oikawa realising they don’t want to start trouble with Iwaizumi.

Because Iwaizumi may not be tall, but he’s muscular, strong, and…

“Iwa-chan! What the heck happened to your face?! It’s scary, let me go!” Oikawa screeches as he barely attempts to free himself from Iwaizumi’s solid grip. “You’ll scare the children away if you keep looking like that!!” he wails into the night sky like a child.

“There’s no children here, dumbass,” he calls back to the driver in a monotone voice, stopping to pull the driver into a proper standing position and noticing the glint in his eyes and red hue on his cheeks as he lets go of his jumper.

“Do you know your insult vocabulary is very limited, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa teases easily, covering up the internal acceleration of his heartbeat as he readjusts his appearance.

“Shut up, Trashykawa,” he mutters quietly. “Where do we go from here?”

But before Oikawa can answer, voices can be heard calling a name. But it’s not Oikawa’s name this time.

They both turn their heads at the same time to the direction “Iwaizumi-kun! Hey, Iwaizumi! Over here!” is coming from – to see Hanamaki and Matsukawa walking towards them, the duo raising their eyebrows in a unison at the sight of Oikawa and their mechanic together.

“Hey hey, what’s this? The Grand King has a new subject!” says Hanamaki, smirking at Oikawa curiously with a glint in his eyes that probably doesn’t mean anything good for Iwaizumi.

Matsukawa ignores Hanamaki’s meddling, instead focussing his attention on Iwaizumi with a conspiring smirk. “What are you doing here, Iwaizumi-san? I thought you didn’t come to these events?”

Hanamaki latches on to their conversation, “and with this guy, too!” he jokes as he points a thumb over his shoulder at Oikawa. “He’s got _such_ an ugly personality,” he whispers at Iwaizumi, laughter bubbling from Hanamaki and Matsukawa as Oikawa pulls a disgusted face from next to Iwaizumi while screeching _“So mean, Makki!!”_

“It’s a night out,” Iwaizumi casually remarks, not wanting to make a big deal of it.

The laughter continues as Oikawa collects himself, “I’m looking for a mechanic,” a hand on his hip and the other placed on Iwaizumi’s shoulder, emitting an air of nonchalance.

Oikawa leans in to talk to Iwaizumi. “I’ll go get my race schedule. Just have a look around in the meantime,” he says, waving his cheery farewells to the trio before melding into the crowd – his confidence returning with a vengeance again under his cheery appearance.

Iwaizumi watches as he walks away, the skin on his shoulder burning from the contact of Oikawa’s now absent hand, his brain fuzzing slightly and heart racing faster as he turns his attention back to the meddling duo.

“A mechanic, huh? He’s quite a piece of work, that Oikawa – but he’s a great racer,” Hanamaki speaks, Matsukawa nodding in unison beside him. “He reads people with a crazy level of accuracy and it freaks people out. That and the ugly personality.”

“Yeah, he’s something special, all right. We’re gonna have a look at the cars and then watch the races, wanna come with us?” Matsukawa offers as Iwaizumi agrees, keen to have a look at the competition and level of work he has to achieve if he accepts this job for Oikawa.

“Are you not racing tonight?” he asks the duo, curious as to why they’re not getting ready to race that evening.

“Nah not tonight, there’s plenty of meets in the future for us to compete at though, don’t you worry, we’ll show off your handiwork on our car just fine,” Matsukawa says, leading the group to where the cars are gathered and being viewed.

The cars are spaced out sporadically – drivers, fans and all sorts wander through the paddock, as Iwaizumi takes in the atmosphere. Professional yet at ease. _Perfect fit for Oikawa,_ he realises.

As the trio walk along, Iwaizumi can’t hold his curiosity back any longer. “How well do you know Oikawa?”

“Better than most people here, but we’re still not very close. He’s not close to most people,” Matsukawa admits. “He scares most of his opponents with how much he analyses them, us included. Talking to him is like having your missteps written out in a neon sign right before your eyes. They don’t call him the Grand King for nothing – it’s because people think he treats them like his royal subjects,” Matsukawa admits.

Hanamaki continues, “We’ve only known him for about a year or so, but he’s already popular in street racing. Do you know of Kageyama Tobio?” they ask, as if the name should ring a bell.

“Never heard of him.”

“Well they have history – Oikawa used to mentor Kageyama years ago when they were teenagers,” Hanamaki pauses to point at a figure in the distance leaning on a black Nissan Skyline R34 and looking like he got caught in the rain on a cold January night – his arms crossed firmly across his chest and a stern expression on his face. “That’s Kageyama over there.”

Matsukawa returns to their conversation. “Oikawa was racing sports cars at a racing club when Kageyama was introduced to him as a rising star. It’s rumoured that the two had a rivalry back then because Oikawa felt threatened by Kageyama’s natural talent, whereas Oikawa worked extremely hard to nurture his talent from scratch just because he loved racing so much.”

“They still don’t get along very well,” Hanamaki adds on at the end, voice trailing off as Iwaizumi absorbs the information, thinking it so ridiculously that _Oikawa_ was jealous of someone else’s talent when his shines just as bright.

Iwaizumi falls behind them, making an excuse to take a closer look at the cars and equipment the other drivers are using.

The majority slightly modified racing parts, but as he continues along he realises the diversity between the cars.

Hajime feels arms wrap around his shoulders from behind, as he shoves Oikawa’s octopus-clingy arms off him – the driver having returned from meeting with the organisers, a sheet of paper that must be his run schedule clutched in his right hand as he laughs at Iwaizumi’s bashful reaction.

“That’s Aone over there,” Oikawa points out to Iwaizumi a tall, bulky man with close-cropped white hair and missing eyebrows.

“He drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo,” Oikawa nods to the heavily modified white sports car in the distance as he walks towards it, signalling Iwaizumi to follow. “He’s a skilled defensive driver, and quick too – not someone you want to lose the lead of the race to early on because you struggle to make it past him. He places his car in the most obnoxious spots.”

Oikawa continues to talk as Iwaizumi inches closer to the Lancer in question, observing the open engine compartment allowing him to look inside.

“These components are heavy,” Iwaizumi mentions to himself as Oikawa leans against the side of the car, looking at his fingernails with disinterest. “How can he be fast with such heavy parts?” Iwaizumi asks.

Oikawa nods in agreement. “That’s the beauty of street racing, Iwa-chan! All the drivers here modify their cars to suit their specialities. Aone’s specialities are in defence and speed. An odd mixture, as having a heavy car makes it go slower, but he’s balanced it to suit him perfectly, and he excels at it.”

Hajime doesn’t say it out loud, but he’s deeply impressed with Oikawa’s analytical observations. Even if he says it with an obnoxious voice.

Oikawa leans off the car with a flourish, continuing to walk deeper into the display of cars.

“So, what do you want with me?” Iwaizumi asks by cutting straight to the point, grabbing Oikawa’s arm and turning the driver to face him directly, stopping him in his tracks. “Any mechanic here could easily install parts and setup your car to make you quicker, but why me specifically?”

Oikawa looks at Iwaizumi with surprise and shock as he squints his eyes – like Iwaizumi’s actions dragged him back down to Earth. The drivers lips form a small smile directed at the ground before making eye contact with Iwaizumi again.

Oikawa stares with a ferocious intensity, his voice low and powerful. “I need a mechanic who knows me better than I do. To set the car up to make it as fast as possible, even if it’s difficult to drive, I want to be the best. I have complete faith in you, Iwaizumi,” he asserts – the tone of his voice overwhelmingly solid as he places a hand on Hajime’s shoulder before letting it drop back to his side.

Iwaizumi’s mind was in overdrive as he followed Oikawa back to his car, as it was approaching the time Oikawa’s race schedule started for the night.

Oikawa only had a few practice laps and a single race for the night against one opponent - Kyoutani – who according to Oikawa, was another newcomer to the Sendai street racing scene.

Before heading out to the track, Iwaizumi gives a brief check of the car to distract himself from openly worshipping the sight of Oikawa strapping on his racing gloves behind the steering wheel – his façade of serene focus settling around him before he roars to action and speeds off onto the circuit.

The trio go to find a vantage point – situating themselves near the start/finish line as they all lean against the perimeter fencing of the tarmacked circuit.

The circuit layout was a few kilometres long and full of differing aspects, making it perfect for street racing. There were long, flat straights which allow for top speed racing before the straights bend off into tight twists and turns, encouraging drivers to make bold overtaking manoeuvres on their opponent.

Kyoutani’s car was lined up directly parallel to Oikawa – the car a yellow Nissan 370Z that Iwaizumi could see lacked visible modifications from where he stood, but he dare not rule out anyone against Oikawa just yet – the man was a fantastic stunt driver, but street racing is a completely different discipline.

Feeling his heart rising in his throat, Hajime leans slightly further into the fencing separating the spectators from the circuit – an exhale finally releasing when the green flag drops and the cars both roar off the start line in a rush of tyre smoke – the loud roaring of engines filled the night surrounding him.

As soon as the smoke cleared, every miniscule seed of doubt Iwaizumi had in his mind was exterminated with each smooth turn of the wheel.

Oikawa’s clean racing style and perfect technique gathered from his years of intense training was clearly evident as he effortlessly pulls away from Kyoutani, the younger driver struggling to keep his composure, evident from the violent movements the car was experiencing around every corner.

Kyoutani became overly aggressive as he slowly reduced the gap between himself and Oikawa – but he misjudged the corner and ran wide, losing time due to his badly thought-out manoeuvre and causing him to fall even further behind.

The final lap flag was waved as Oikawa crossed the line, his finesse and car control evident as the track came alive beneath the tyres, the ecstatic feeling of driving never becoming a chore or a mundane task for Oikawa, even for one millisecond.

Crossing the line to the waving chequered flag to signal the end of the race, Oikawa slows his car down to a standstill and Iwaizumi felt as if he could finally breathe again. His eyes never broke contact with Oikawa’s car as it sped around the circuit.

His chest hurts.

Iwaizumi feels guilty for doubting Oikawa for a single second.

He was hypnotised, fascinated and utterly blown away with what Oikawa can do on a race track – especially with an unmodified car.

 _Imagine what he can do with a car I modify specifically for him_ , Hajime thinks to himself – the thought bringing him an immense feeling of excitement.

“Let’s go see him!” Hanamaki exclaims, encouraging Matsukawa and Iwaizumi to follow him back to the car paddock, where Oikawa was getting out of his car to the raving cheers of fans surrounding him while waving to the crowd.

As the fans dissipate to continue watching the on-track action, Oikawa saunters up to the trio with a cheesy grin covering his face – letting Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s cheers of praise wash over him, lifting his spirits (and his vanity) even higher as he laughs off their compliments.

Finally facing Iwaizumi, an expectant look on the drivers face as he awaits the mechanics evaluation of his performance, when Oikawa’s attention is diverted to a spot over Iwaizumi’s left shoulder.

Turning around to see the sight, Hajime’s eyes follows a man with dyed blonde hair and two horizontal stripes shaved into his buzzcut hairstyle, showing his natural hair colour – this matched with a ferocious grimace on his face greets the trio as they see the man making a direct beeline for where they are standing.

Kyoutani storms through the crowds, steam practically rising from the racers ears.

Oikawa chuckles as he steps forward to talk to his defeated opponent, immediately initiating a mostly one-sided conversation with a smug smile on his face and his noise pointing upwards, exuding an air of superiority.

_The Grand King…_

Without a “better luck next time’, or a ‘good effort!’, Oikawa goes straight for the jugular, much to Iwaizumi’s chagrin.

“Kyou-chan! Mad Dog-Chan, you need to calm down! You’re such an angry driver I thought you’d resort to crashing me off the track if you couldn’t overtake me!”

Rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time that evening, Iwaizumi raises a hand and whacks Oikawa upside the head, causing him to cry out in exaggerated pain.

“Dammit Assikawa, give the kid a break.”

Ignoring a pouting Oikawa next to him, Iwaizumi addresses Kyoutani instead. “Sorry about this trash bag, he means it as constructive criticism… I think.”

 _“Iwa-chan, rude!”_ is heard faintly, as Iwaizumi ignores the whinging driver as he registers Kyoutani’s Nissan parked off in the distance.

“Say, do you have a mechanic by any chance?” he asks, curious about the young man in-front of him.

At closer sight, Iwaizumi can indeed confirm his suspicions that Kyoutani doesn’t have any modifications to his car, the young driver stating that he can’t afford a mechanic to install any to his car.

Hajime has a confident grin on his face that could equal Oikawa’s best as he says to the dejected Kyoutani, “do you want some training in how to be a mechanic? I run an auto garage and I’m going to be quite busy, so I wouldn’t mind the extra help since I’m picking up extra work thanks to this trash bag,” he laughs lightly as he points to Oikawa next to him who scowls in return.

The young racer stares at Iwaizumi for a few seconds before realisation sets in that he was just offered a job.

“So what do you think. Do you accept? You’ll be paid, and I’ll teach you the basics, and you can use the equipment there for your car so long as it isn’t damaged. Sound good?” he asks again.

By his side, Oikawa is nothing less than gawking at Iwaizumi, understanding that Iwaizumi just accepted his offer – and that he’s also poaching rival racers and turning them into mechanics for his garage.

If Oikawa wasn’t surprised enough by Iwaizumi before, he is now. And then some.

Kyoutani nods his confirmation, Iwaizumi smiling a satisfied smirk as he grasps the younger driver’s shoulder in good faith, happy that he accepted his offer.

He discusses the details with Kyoutani, telling him to drop by the garage next week to get started before the younger driver leaves the group, the duo of Hanamaki and Matsukawa taking him under their wings – walking back to the race track to watch the remaining races for the evening.

“And as for you,” Hajime casually remarks as he turns to face Oikawa. “Yes, I accept your offer,” he stops talking momentarily to place his index finger over Oikawa’s lips, wanting to clear a few things up first before the driver talks his ear off.

“I’ll fix whatever you want on your car _so long_ _as_ I’m paid fairly, and you stop being a dick to Kyoutani,” Hajime talking calmly as he raises his hand from Oikawa’s lips and moves it to mess up Oikawa’s hair – the mechanic laughing at Oikawa’s graceless outrage as he attempts to shove Iwaizumi’s arm away from him, while the driver internally collapses at the wonderful feeling of Iwaizumi’s fingers running through his hair.

“Come on Trashykawa, let’s go watch the last race together,” he announces happily, knowing with certainty that his driver is following right behind him.

 

* * *

 

The last race, as it turns out, involves Kageyama.

Oikawa leads Iwaizumi to a prime viewing spot with a perfect view of the race track, as they both watch the start line intensely.

From the corner of his eye, Iwaizumi notices the clear dislike on Oikawa’s face directed solely on Kageyama who is circling the track, completing his warm-up laps.

“You hate him, don’t you?” Iwaizumi asks simply, not beating around the bush as the cars line up at the start line.

“Absolutely.”

Iwaizumi punches Oikawa’s shoulder – snapping the driver out of his hatred bubble. “Don’t hate someone just for being talented, shithead.”

The race starts, and their heads turn to follow the midnight black Nissan Skyline of Kageyama’s race off the start line in exuberant fashion, speeding down the front straight and aggressively turning into the first corner, his opponent right on his rear wing.

Kageyama races aggressively but also extremely fast, that much is obvious to Hajime.

“It’s not just that he’s talented,” he hears Oikawa say – his quiet voice the softest he’s heard the man use and barely heard over the roar of the engine, Hajime making note of the genuine honesty. “He’s talented, I admit that. But he makes dumb decisions and doesn’t _think_ about his actions when racing. He pisses me off,” he adds with a scowl.

And that little sliver of honesty makes Iwaizumi understand Oikawa so much clearer.

Oikawa and Kageyama are polar opposites.

Oikawa is highly analytical and smooth, having spent day after day practicing and perfecting driving techniques – working himself to the bone to succeed in what he loves doing, branching out into stunt driving to differentiate himself from other drivers around him.

Kageyama however, is rough and thoughtless, being born with a natural talent many are jealous of, Oikawa included in that group.

Oikawa’s insecurities are obvious to Hajime. He can see how Kageyama knocks his self-belief down a notch, making him doubt his abilities.

And that infuriates Hajime.

“Let’s get out of here, Oikawa,” he commands, grabbing Oikawa by his shoulders and pushing him away from the race track, not letting his driver turn back to look at who wins the race.

_Comparing yourself to others isn’t helping anyone._

 

* * *

 

On their way out, Oikawa tells Iwaizumi they have to go collect the prize money for winning the race – betting being a large part of street racing culture, and the drivers always get a decent amount for putting on a good show.

Near the car paddock and away from the noise of the circuit, a few tables are set up with cash and various people gathered around – a tall, pale man with spiked, fire-red hair separates from the group to greet Oikawa with eager enthusiasm.

“Oikawaa!! Nice race tonight, as always! Oh, who’s your friend?” the man asks, circling Iwaizumi with a curious glint in his eyes.

“Tendou Satori, Ushiwaka’s right-hand-man,” Oikawa whispers to Iwaizumi, who introduces himself to Tendou, who hums in excitement.

“Ooh, it’s always nice to have new blood!” he chuckles over his shoulder as he retreats back to the desk to gather the prize money won from the race.

Oikawa waits with Iwaizumi by his side as they wait for a few minutes, before a tall, built man emerges from the crowd surrounding the table – the people parting ways as he walks directly towards the duo with a stack of cash in his hand, Tendou leaping after him and arriving by the mans side.

At Hajime’s side, Oikawa tenses – an ugly scowl arising on his lips at the sight, whispering “Ushiwaka” to Iwaizumi.

“Ushijima Wakatoshi,” the man introduces himself to Iwaizumi with a deep, clean voice – Iwaizumi bowing slightly, replicating the gesture out of maturity.

With pleasantries aside, Ushiwaka address Oikawa solely. “Have you reconsidered my offer?”

To Hajime’s surprise, Oikawa’s scowl gets even uglier as a result (he didn’t think that was even possible).

Tendou interrupts the glaring contest, neither party willing to back down as Oikawa doesn’t grace the man with an answer.

“The offer still stands, we’d love to have you in our team!” Tendou states happily, snatching the pile of cash from Ushiwaka’s hand and giving it to Oikawa who accepts it happily.

“You’ll regret not joining us, Oikawa. Your full strength will be brought out with us,” Ushijima talks to Oikawa as he retreats.

Oikawa grabs Iwaizumi’s bicep before turning his back on the duo of Tendou and Ushijima, heading back to his car and dragging a surprised Iwaizumi along with him with a physical strength he didn’t know the driver was capable of.

“Oikawa, wh-” is all that Hajime manages to blurt out before Oikawa speaks, clearing the confusion.

“Ushiwaka tried to get me to join the group, Shiratorizawa, they call themselves. They know I’m popular so they wanted me to be their Champion driver and represent them in races since it will get more people to bet on the races, so they get more money.”

He stops pulling Iwaizumi, instead dropping his arm from his grip and slowing his walk, not raising his eyes from the ground – the drivers body posture is tense like a stretched rubber band.

“If I accepted, I would earn more money, get more popular in street racing, but I wouldn’t be racing for myself, I’d be racing for _them_ ,” he spits out bitterly. “I don’t mind the idea of racing for a team, but racing for them is constricting and I don’t want my driving to be limited. I want to be the best,” he announces confidently, Iwaizumi doing nothing but listening as Oikawa bears his grievance to the universe. “But I want to be the best on my terms.”

Oikawa’s voice grows more determined with every word, Iwaizumi noticing the slight shake present in the drivers hand as he flexes his fingers to get rid of it.

“Ushiwaka said my ‘worthless pride’ is holding me back from maximising my potential,” he laughs and scoffs as he says the words, a cringe on his face.

Shaking his head, Iwaizumi reaches out and grabs Oikawa’s hand – making the driver stand still and collect his thoughts as he wraps an arm around the shaking man overcome with energy and anger, pulling the driver against his body – only letting go a minute later when he feels a large breath leave Oikawa’s body, the shaking stopping soon after.

Iwaizumi drags them towards Oikawa’s car.

“Keys,” he demands, Oikawa handing them over quietly and without argument, re-gathering himself. “Get in the passenger seat, I’m driving,” he enforces, Oikawa not arguing the decision.

Iwaizumi turns the key in the ignition, starting the engine and driving away from the scene behind them, the fluorescent lights growing smaller and smaller in the rear mirror.

They drive in silence for a while, before Iwaizumi breaks the atmosphere.

“The only person stopping you from maximising your potential is me, Oikawa. Leave it with me and I’ll make sure you can beat him, you can trust me on that,” Hajime declares firmly, no ounce of disbelief laced in his words.

Oikawa flashes a small, un-tainted smile at Iwaizumi from the passenger seat.

Almost an hour later, Iwaizumi pulls the Subaru up to his single-story house behind his garage, the house is well-kept, modest and sturdy. Turning the Subaru off and stepping out of the vehicle. Oikawa steps out of the car, looking quieter and more solemn than usual, deep in thought, his blinks slowing and his limbs growing sluggish as he walks to the driver side of the car.

Shaking his head, Iwaizumi locks the car behind him as he gently pushes Oikawa through the front door of his house instead.

“You’re not driving home like this, Crappykawa. Sleep on my couch tonight,” he insists, as he unlocks the front door and gently pushes the driver over the threshold.

The moment Oikawa steps into the house, he is greeted by a loud bark that snaps him out of his mental solitude – and then his vision is blurred by a large amount of golden fur jumping in-front of him, claws scratching at his chest.

Oikawa blinks slowly as he feels Iwaizumi push him to the side of the entrance hallway and removing the golden fur from his line of vision.

“Iwa-chan?” he asks confusedly, before he realises what happened.

“Ah shit, sorry! Yoko gets a bit excited sometimes,” he laughs, as Oikawa see’s the cause of his obstructed view a few seconds earlier.

Iwaizumi is crouching on the floor of the hallway, smiling as he clutches a large, golden retriever in his hands as he holds her cheeks and cooes at her gently – the dog panting excitedly in his face, her tail enthusiastically attempting to break free of Iwaizumi’s constraints to inspect the new visitor some more.

_Let it be known that in this second, Oikawa Tooru is a Goner._

Smiling and rolling his eyes, Oikawa crouches down to greet Yoko. “It’s okay, Iwa-chan. I love dogs,” he says happily as he taps his knees, signalling to Yoko that it’s okay for her to approach him.

 _I’m friendly_.

He strokes his fingers through her long fur, Yoko’s nose pressing into his arm so he continues to pat her as Iwaizumi rises to his feet.

“I see you’ve chosen your new favourite,” he mumbles to himself as he takes his shoes off and walks further into his house, flicking on a few lights along the way.

Yoko follows her owner into the house as Oikawa removes his shoes before continuing forward, entering a spacious house filled with mismatching furniture items – a dark black couch in the far end of the room facing a TV attached to a wall with a cabinet full of numerous movies and gaming consoles, a kitchen with varying coloured appliances littered across the tabletop.

A few doors lead to what Oikawa assumes is a bedroom, bathroom and a closet are etched into the off-white walls. Dog beds are placed in-front of the lounge and against another wall on the opposite side of the room.

“You keep good company, a shame she’s much sweeter than you are,” he jokes lightly, bending down to pat Yoko again as she sits herself at Oikawa’s feet – Iwaizumi opening a cupboard door and pulling out numerous blankets before dumping them on the couch.

“In that case, Yoko is sleeping on the couch and you can sleep on her dog bed, and she hasn’t had a bath in nearly two weeks,” he states flatly.

Giving his best unamused face to Iwaizumi, the mechanic disappears into the bedroom and emerges a minute later, dressed in a casual t-shirt and jogging pants.

Oikawa displays his excellent reaction times by getting hit in the face a second later by a pile of clothing thrown by the mechanic, who laughs at Oikawa’s messed up hair and flying limbs in an attempt to protect himself from the projectiles.

“Get changed and go to sleep, Shittykawa, I’ll see you in the morning,” he offers quietly, turning off a few of the lights after giving a goodnight pat to Yoko who settles into her bed in-front of the lounge.

Yoko keeping Oikawa and his flustered thoughts company throughout the night as he happily falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some explanatory notes and picture references to clear up some parts of this chapter and bc im a visual learner and i like googling pics of cars:
> 
> \- i've taken liberties w/ street racing as police are usually v/ strict with it so i've made it on private properties. Ushijima is loaded from his dad but he organises this to separate himself from his father's influence to set up his own legacy 
> 
> \- [Aone's Mitsubishi Lancer Evo](https://wallpapercave.com/wp/d0UV3Cn.jpg)
> 
> \- [Kageyama's Nissan Skyline R34](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6446246087_848e502ec9_o.jpg)
> 
> \- [Kyoutani's Nissan 370Z](https://gearheads.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2018-nissan-370z-heritage-edition-04-1024x576.jpg)
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it! i love and thank u for every single kudos/comment/sub to this fic, it's really nice hearing from u guys!!
> 
> [im here on tumblr as well!](https://sanssoleiil.tumblr.com/)


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